#performative masculinity

[this-is-anti-masculinity]

I will never get over the way that the performative man trend devolved into homoandrophobia, androqueerphobia, and just general anti-masculinity.

"No (peri)cis straight man would ever be interested in that, if they are, they are manipulating you" ah, yes, tell me more about your gender essentialism.

I get that the trend started by talking about toxic men who pretended to be feminists, but the way it devolved into trying to "scope out" who is a "performative man" based on judging men's interests through a gender essentialist lense is totally wild.

[triassictriserratops]

listen, I know people hear "manbun" and immediately cringe away from it like the hardwired fear response that cats have to snakes.

but I NEED people to see the vision for Shane's manbun because you don't understand how important it is that he has it!

The Shane Hollander we meet in Heated Rivalry would NEVER have risked the gender non-conformity of having a manbun. This is a man who bought an entire building to compartmentalize and hide his sexual relationship with another man - do you think this is a man who would have grown out his hair????

ABSOLUTELY NOT.

He already struggles with the fact that he is a very beautiful man and that people find his freckles "adorable".

The fact that the Shane Hollander of The Long Game is willing to grow out his hair and then KEEP his long hair at the request of his boyfriend???? That's a big fucking deal! This Shane Hollander is confident enough in his understanding of his own sexuality to allow himself to deviate from the performance of masculinity!!!! to allow himself to have long hair!

INCREDIBLE! NO NOTES. WONDERFUL CHOICE! +81 TO MANBUN! IN MANBUN WE TRUST!

[toomanystoryideas]

gillian flynn predicted performative men in 2012

[earlgraytay]

The thing that makes me angriest about the performative male thing is the way it's tailor-made to keep people in the closet.

People regardless of gender or sexuality, mind, but it especially hurts trans folks of all genders and gay/bi men.

[pinkypastal]

'Performative Male' and it's literally just everything incels say about men that don't subscribe to their ideology

[saintjamboni]

I was a performative male today: drinking matcha, eating tofu, driving a sedan, wearing corduroys and thermals and stacked necklaces, and pretending trying to think deeply about things.

BUT! These are all things that I truly enjoy, so is it being performative if I'm just...being myself?

Here in lies the problem. This morning--as I was attaching my belt chain--the realization that I had donned the Performative Male Uniform struck my noggin. Subsequently all actions and further leaning into today's aesthetic reinforced the thought of "chuckle chuckle, I'm being a Performative Lil Guy today".

As a transmasculine-ballpark-identifying individual, the performance of gender itself relies more on vibes rather than biology so that might have added a layer of irony too. Am I so far deep into the masc pipeline that I got turned around again? The public sphere recognizes PM as "men trying to be feminine/soft/learned to seem more desirable", so does that automatically negate any masculinity I might have intended??

I guess the only thing I can really take away from this is that I was performing being performing for an audience that is myself in order to perform for the audience that perceives me??

Let me know if I should post the outfit

[punishedsaints]

[victusinveritas]